This specification relates to mobile devices and, in one particular implementation, to a visual programming integrated development environment (“IDE”) for developing mobile device applications.
Visual programming interfaces may be used to help novice computer users develop software applications. For instance, Adobe Dreamweaver by Adobe Systems of San Jose, Calif., and Google Sites by Google of Mountain View, Calif., provide visual programming interfaces that allow users to develop web pages without directly manipulating the underlying HyperText Markup Language (“HTML”) code.
Other interfaces have been used to teach users the fundamentals of software development. Scratch, a project developed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, allows children to develop simple games, animated stories, music, and digital art using a block-based, visual programming language. Alice, a project developed by the Carnegie Melon University, uses a drag-and-drop visual programming interface to introduce basic programming language concepts.